Ashton Kutcher Sex Scandal Hits Two and Half Men Ratings

Ashton Kutcher and “Two and a Half Men” are in a bit of a ratings spiral compared with its blockbuster debut last month. But while concern is up, CBS has yet to hit the panic button over Kutcher’s sex scandal.

Kutcher replaced actor Charlie Sheen for the new Season 9, after Sheen’s drug and alcohol fueled meltdown led to a confrontation with show producer Chuck Lorre.

The show’s premiere, which introduced Kutcher and focused on the funeral of Sheen’s character, drew a whopping 29 million viewers, making it No. 1 in the ratings.

But that was before Kutcher was ensarled in a sex scandal with 22-year-old party girl, Sara Leal.

Since then, the show’s ratings have been in retreat. On Monday (Oct. 10), only 17.7 million viewers tuned in.

The show finished in third place behind ratings winner “Monday Night Football,” which featured the unbeaten Green Bay Packers against the Atlanta Falcons.

But more tellingly, the show slipped behind CBS’s “NCIS,” which drew 19.2 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings.

While a third place finish is nothing to sneeze at, the show’s producers are concerned that Kutcher’s cheating on his popular wife, Demi Moore, could be turning off viewers.

Kutcher reportedly is concerned about the situation as well, gossip site radaronline reported, citing a source close to the actor.

“To be fair, the season premiere of ‘Two and a Half Men’ last year when Charlie Sheen was still on the show, had around 16 million people tuning in,” the source said.

“Two and a Half Men” is also showing staying power against other shows, but ABC’s “Modern Family” is now the No. 1 comedy.

Kutcher and Moore are reportedly attempting to patch up their marriage.

What can I say, as the other comments just about say it all. Charlie made the show 2 1/2 men! Lorre lost the show, unfortunately. We truly needed an escape and the show was a great and fun distraction. Charlie is very talented, and did this with his eyes closed. They can be wise, if they truly want to make some big bucks again. This is how: So Charlie Harper supposedly was pushed in front of a train by Rose (where is she anyway?). How could they identify the body? CAN’T or didn’t as they didn’t use dna. Therefore, Charlie can knock at his front door at anytime and reappear. Tada! Hey Chuck L. let Kutcher go on his way, and get Charlie back, IF YOU CAN. Give him the money he wants, as you will make megga bucks with him. No one is buying your B.S. about some sex scandel with Kutcher. Only made him more interesting. However, the show now STINKS! Somehow no one fits into the show anymore. Don’t bring back Charlie’s old fiance. Who casted her? Pretty lady however, not a good choice for the show. Let Charlie pick the next fiance down the line. We want Charlie! We want Charlie! We want Charlie! He’s winning? My gosh, Charlie WON!

Greg

First of all, the sex scandal, you media morons, has nothing to do with the drop in ratings. The drops is because the show isn’t what it was with Charlie Sheen. Get a clue!

Aidan Williams

This is not good i am a big fan of the show and don’t want it to end until they do 10 Seasons. I am so angry that Modern Family is No 1 now.

Chris Miller

@Terri: Charlie wasn’t proud to be a womanizer, in fact he wanted to stop, but he couldn’t because he liked it too much. And he only let Alan live with him because he was the cause of Alan’s poverty by jilting Alan’s divorce-lawyer– just like he later jilted Alan’s secretary, causing Alan problems with her as well. He also only allowed Alan to stay with him, because he wanted to visit his nephew Jake on weekends because no one else could stand Charlie; and Charlie made it clear that if Jake ever left, so would Alan. Charlie just didn’t care about anything; he wasn’t hiding a “heart of gold” like every other supposed “anti-hero” out there. That’s what made him so priceless, and the show so funny, i.e. it was bluntly honest about modern self-idulgence. Now that he’s gone, so is the show– and this warmed-over remake of “Kelso” isn’t just a poor substitute– he’s an INSULT.

Chris Miller

People didn’t care about the president having a sex-scandal, you think they’d care about an actor– on a show like Two and a Half Men, where cheating is just part for the course? Amazing.

Folks, this shows just how detached that studio-execs are from reality, i.e. they care more about marketing, than the product itself. Here they have a show that’s clearly run off its tracks, and they worry about the public image of one of the actors!

But before reading this, I had no idea about this “sex-scandal” even existed since is just isn’t newsworthy enough to make a difference in anyone else’s life.

But when the #1 favorite TV show suddenly goes to crap– yeah, that does make a difference to millions of people. As far as I know, Charlie Sheen had plenty of sex-scandals during the show’s 8-year run– not to mention binges with drugs and alcohol; and it probably HELPED the show’s ratings since it was just “Charlie Harper in the flesh.”

Jon

I have watched the new two and a half men, and I can honestly say this scandal has nothing to do with the ratings dropping. The show sucks now. They can try to blame outside forces but if that was true it would have suffered with Charlie sheen too. Suck it up, Chuck lorre, and get Charlie back..

Oh be serious, his cheating didn’t make the ratings drop. The show sucks and that’s why they dropped. How come all of Charlie Sheens dramma made the ratings go up. Face it WB and CBS messed up by getting rid of Charlie. I think by the end of the season CBS will be number 3 on Monday nights and it’s all because they fired the cash cow Charlie. Unless they get Charlie back and write off these terrable eposodes as everyones dream episodes. They could say each charactor had different dreams that all involved Ashton Kutcher after seeing one of his lousy movies together and they all got food poisoning from the theaters popcorn.

Terri

its not the scandal that is the problem but the fact that show is a bomb… People watched the first show to see how they got rid of Charlie. People watched the 2nd show to see how Alan got to move back in the house…no one cares now.

The show no longer works since both Alan and Waldon are the same character.

They have bashed Charlie every episode and it should stop…do people really speak ill of the dead? NO. But let’s go back, the stuff they are bashing him for is stuff that Charlie never hid…his character was proud to be a womanizer. He let his brother live with him…rent free. He disliked his mother and didn’t try to pretend to like her.